Gruppe Planet - Travel to Uncertain Grounds

Angry Metal Guy 50

Ambient music and metal, on the surface, appear to have little in common: ambient’s gentle, relaxing melodies are, superficially, a far cry from the furious pummeling and screeches that defines most metal. And yet, the two go frequently hand in hand, possibly because, when you adjust to it, metal, like ambient, can be hypnotic and soothing. It would explain why bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room and Violet Cold have both released ambient records, in the form of Celestite and the Sommermorgen trilogy, respectively. Now we have Gruppe Planet, a German supergroup of sorts, featuring members from Heaven Shall Burn, Decembre Noir, Dÿse and A Dog Called Ego. Unlike those bands, Gruppe Planet is distinctly non-metal. Or, at the very least, at the gentler end of the post-metal/post-rock spectrum. Travel to Uncertain Grounds, the group’s debut, is billed as a collection of instrumental, ambient, synth-heavy songs. Definitely a new direction, but let’s be honest: most ambient stuff is boring. Is this journey any different?

From a song-writing perspective, Travel to Uncertain Grounds is a mixed bag. The album takes a long time to find its groove, with the second half noticeably superior to the first. “Travel to Uncertain Grounds” gets things moving nicely, with a gentle build-up consisting of synthesizers, hypnotic drumming and interesting tremolo work, that ultimately delivers a satisfying climax. It’s solid, but the songs that follow are much less compelling. “Saros” and “At Night on a Roof” are pretty enough, but disappointingly, go nowhere, and thus sleepwalk into the boredom trap. All squeeze, no juice, if you will. The album only hits its straps again with fifth track, “Unfold,” which is easily the best song on the album. It has all the good stuff: ethereal melodies and a palpable atmosphere, both building to a climax featuring a crunching guitar that augments the synthesizer. It’s gorgeous and epic. Another highlight is album closer “Mirai,” which has a very Explosions in the Sky feel to it, with a simple melody that, like a snowball rolling down a slope, gathers momentum and weight as it progresses. It finally culminates in a satisfying end and hints at a possible way forward for the band.

Travel To Uncertain Grounds by Gruppe Planet

While the songs on Travel to Uncertain Grounds are varied enough that they never bleed into each other, this is a double-edged sword. The constant variations in tone and atmosphere make it very difficult to settle into the album, which is a problem as ambient records are supposed to flow smoothly. “Bullhead,” for example, has a pretty cool, repetitive riff, reminding me a bit of Nine Inch Nails, complete with vocals that sound a bit like Trent Reznor’s. It’s fun, but it’s sandwiched between the LCD Soundsystem-esque “Yield” and the aforementioned, ethereal “Unfold.” This not only ruins the flow but is also indicative of a band that still hasn’t decided exactly what it wants to be yet.

Gruppe Planet consists of musicians who are scattered throughout Germany. While plenty of collaborative efforts work just fine with artists never actually interacting in person, the virtual, Zoom-type approach is very apparent here. Songs sound like ideas stitched together rather than organically created. There are also some curious errors: the album is billed as being “completely instrumental,” but songs like “Bullhead” and “Travel to Uncertain Ground” have clean singing and growling, respectively. It’s not deal-breaking, but it indicates the occasionally sloppy approach the band takes towards the material.

I’m not sure who Travel to Uncertain Grounds is ultimately going to please. It’s too tonally uneven to work as a purely ambient record; it’s too repetitive and not nearly aggressive or riff-heavy enough to satisfy trve metal fans; and most of the climaxes lack the emotional heft to catch the attention of the post-metal crowd. Despite some good moments, and some good songs, the album, and indeed Gruppe Planet, occupies a no-man’s land between ambient and post-metal. The band members clearly enjoy exploring their lighter sides, and there is definite promise here, but it needs focus and refinement. If you’re really into ambient stuff, this may be worth exploring. But it’s unlikely to convert the skeptical.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Lifeforce Records
Websites: gruppeplanetlfr.bandcamp.com/ | facebook.com/gruppeplanet/
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2020

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